Will This Torture Ever End?
by Spacepeeps
Summary: The Paladins have been captured by Zarkon and the rest of the Galra, and things are going downhill fast. Zarkon is using the paladin's protectiveness of Pidge against them, and finding new ways to torture each member of the gang mentally and physically to find the location of the lions. But what if it's something bigger than the lions he's after? Bigger than this whole war? R&R
1. Will This Torture Ever End?

**Hey, my peeps! So this is the standard paladins get captured/tortured fanfiction. There will be a lot of the paladins protecting our favorite smoll bean (Pidge) because I absolutely LIVE for that kind of angsty fluff! All relationships are strictly platonic because people falling in love while being tortured mentally and physically is like...it kinda makes for a weird story. Anyway, enjoy! Set in kind of an AU where Allura never became a paladin and everyone already knows that Keith is part Galra (except for the actual Galra of course) so please give this a chance, it's my first fanfic. Reviews are always greatly appreciated because...I crave attention, you know XD? Alrightie, on with the story!**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Voltron I would've never made Allura a paladin, made Klance happen, and made a season 9**

* * *

"Lance this is all your fault!" Keith shouted, glaring across the room at the blue paladin.

"MY fault! If I remember correctly, you bumped into a tray table and knocked the whole thing down! Literally the whole building heard us!"

"That's only because YOU bumped into me!"

"Well, YOU were the one who didn't come up with a good plan of attack! Honesty who just goes barging into a building full of galra? YOU THAT'S WHO!"

"Oh, my plan of attack was AMAZING! But WHO WAS THE ONE WHO TRIPPED THE ALARM AND ALERTED THE GALRA THAT WE WERE HERE, HUH? YOU!"

"Oh, the ONE TIME I SCREW UP!"

"One time! You screw up all the time!"

"Well me tripping the alarm didn't matter anyway because you ALREADY KNOCKED A WHOLE TRAY OF TOOLS DOWN WHICH IS JUST AS LOUD AS THE ALARM!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!"

"OH, YOU BET I DO!"

"YOU WANT TO GO MCCLAIN?"

"YOU'RE ON MULLET!"

"OH IMMA BEAT YOU SO HARD-"

"ENOUGH!" Shiro roared at the top of his lungs. "NO ONE is going to beat ANYONE, UNDERSTAND?"

The boys paused mid yell."Yes, sir." Lance squeaked as Keith rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

Shiro looked both boys in the eyes. "It is both your faults that we got captured." Shiro turned to Lance. "Mostly yours Lance," he continued, earning a "hey!" in the background from the blue paladin. "But the past is in the past, and now we have to focus on getting out of here."

"Ohmygod guys shut your quiznaks." Pidge murmured from the far right corner of the cell. "I swear if the Galra doesn't kill you people first, then I will."

"Dude I am so with you there." Hunk groaned from the opposite corner. "How long have we been in here anyway?"

"I'd say about an hour," Shiro said, not bothering to use the altean terms for time now that it was only them.

"What do you think they want?" Lance asked, looked around the room skeptically. "I thought that they only wanted Voltron, not the paladins."

Shiro closed his eyes and rested his head against the cool stone wall. "They do want Voltron, they just don't know where it is." Shiro peeked one eye open to look at the rest of the team. "That's why they're going to torture us for information."

The cell went dead silent. "Well, what happens then?" Hunk whispered.

"We can't tell the Galra anything." Shiro shot up so suddenly that the other paladins flinched in surprise. "Team, no matter WHAT we are going to make it through this. We will get hurt, very badly, but we must be strong." Shiro looked every one of his teammates, his friends, his _family_ in the eyes. "We need to be there for each other. THIS EXPERIENCE WILL BRING US TOGETHER LIKE NOTHING HAD BEFORE." The silence in the room was defening. "Are you ready for this?" Shiro whispered after a moment. Before anyone could answer the cell doors flew open, revealing-

"Zarkon." Shiro muttered, staring at the Galra's sickening purple face.

A chilling grin spread across Zarkons face. "Ohhh, dude..." Lance said after a moment of silence. "Gosh, you are uuuuuugly."

Keith elbowed him hard in the side. "LANCE! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!" He whisper-yelled into his ear. Lance merely shrugged, a small smile splitting across his face. Zarkon, however, didn't pay any attention to Lance's outburst.

"I didn't come here to make small talk." He said, his face cool and collected other than the creepy grin. "I came for information."

"Well, you might as well give it up." A small but defiant voice said from the back of the room. All head swiveled to the young green paladin, who was glaring daggers at the Galran Emporer with fire burning in her eyes. Pidge furrowed her eyebrows and grinded her teeth together. "We will never ever _ever_ tell you ANYTHING! No matter WHAT YOU DO! UNDERSTAND?" The young girls breaths were ragged, and her chest heaved up and down from the power of her yell.

After a moment of shocked silence, a small chuckle escaped Zarkon's lips. It grew bigger, and bigger until it was a full-on breakdown. The paladins exchanged worried glances with each other, all thinking the same thing. This can not be good.

Zarkon whipped blood red tears from his eyes. "Oh, child." He said after clearing his throat. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time." The galra walked over to where Pidge was chained and stroked her face with one finger. "The green paladin...interesting..."

Keith and Lance couldn't take this. "Dude don't touch her!" Lance yelled. Zarkon turned toward him with an amused smile on his face.

"Break my arm for all I care buddy, just don't lay another finger on her!" Lance was struggling hard now against the chains holding him back. Keith looked about ready to murder a whole platoon of Galra soldiers. Hunk refused to see his best friend like that, and was biting his lip hard enough to draw blood. Shiro's eyes had closed and he was now leaning against the wall looking like he was trying really hard not to break something.

"Don't touch her, you say?" Zarkon asked, raising one eyebrow. "I bet you won't like it when I do this then." Zarkon roughly grabbed Pidges face with one hand and smiled. "I have chosen my first victim!" He announced to his guards a second later, releasing Pidge from his grasp. He then whirled around and pointed to her. "The girl, grab her immediately!"

As the guards unhooked Pidge from the wall, the other paladins were going absolutely ballistic.

"I said don't touch her! You hear me!" Lance yelled at the guards holding Pidge. "Put her down now or I swear, I will kill every single one of you!"

Shiro's eyes had snapped open at Zarkons announcement and was staring helplessly at Pidge in the galra's grasp. "What? No...no...he was supposed to pick me..." he muttered, staring at Pidge like a lost puppy. "I'm the leader, I should be tortured, right? Not some innocent 14-year-old girl...not Pidge...never Pidge..."

Hunk was angrier than he had ever been before in his entire life. "If you hurt her, I will personally make your life a living hell!" Hunk screamed as they passed him. "Whatever you do to her, I do to you when we break out of here, GOT IT?!"

"PUT HER DOWN NOW!" Keith bellowed. The rest of the paladins went completely silent. None of them, not even Shiro, had seen Keith explode with so much emotion. "I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU SO MUCH AS PUT ONE TINY BRUISE ON HER YOU ARE ALL AS GOOD AS DEAD!" Keith's eyes began to turn yellow and catlike. As struggled against his restrains, stubby little fangs sprung from his canines.

"Stop." Zarkon had been observing the Paladin's outbursts with a satisfying sense of pride, but that pride quickly turned into curiosity. Keith's yelling ceased. Everyone watched as Zarkon made his way over to the red paladin. As soon as he got within a foot of him, he was instantly hit with a wave of pure hatred. Zarkon stepped back, surprised that a human could hate someone with such vigor. Unless...

Zarkon inspected Keith's face further, his gaze lingering on his yellow eyes and the peculiar fangs protruding from his mouth. Finally, Zarkon gave a snort. "You intrigue me, boy." He inched a bit closer.

"I'll make you an offer." The galra said finally. He glanced at Pidge. "Either I can take your precious green paladin here to be tortured..." Keith looked up at Zarkon with terrified and angry eyes. Zarkon smirked. "Or...you can take her place. But-"

"I'll take her place," Keith said immediately, earning a bunch of yelling from Pidge. Both Keith and Zarkon ignored the small girl and stared at each other.

"You didn't even hear the last part," Zarkon stated.

"I don't have to," Keith said sincerely. "As long as Pidge is safe, I'm fine with anything."

"Keith, don't do this. I'm not worth it." Pidge cried. "Stay here with the others, don't worry about me I can take it. Just please, _please_ don't do this to me." Tears ran across Pidge's face.

Keith looked at Pidge with a soft smile on his face. "Pidge, I would rather be tortured 1,000 times than have you tortured once. I'm going to do it no matter how bad it hurts me."

"Keith _please!_ " Pidge sobbed, her voice shaking. The rest of the paladins exchanged glances of silent agreement. It wasn't that Pidge wasn't strong, it was just... she was small, and her body couldn't take much tortured without shutting down completely. Keith on the other hand, his body had brrn building up stamina over the years and was accustomed to large amounts of pain. The rest of the Paladins still _hated_ that anyone had to be tortured, but it was better for someone to come back hurt than to not come back at all.

The guards dropped Pidge and unhooked Keith from the wall. "I'll see you guys later." He said, a single tear trickling down his cheek as he looked at all the heartbroken faces around him. Before Keith could say anything more, the door slammed and he was being carried to certain doom.

The guards stopped at an all white room a few hallways down from here Keith's fellow paladins were held. _"Well,"_ The red paladin thought as he was being led into the room and strapped to the operation table surrounded by various weapons and drugs. _"At least everyone else is safe."_

Zarkon emerged from the shadows with a syringe filling to the brim with a goopy purple substance. Keith clenched teeth and braced himself. The Galran Emperor stared blankly at the defiant young man, and slowly put the syringe onto the table beside him. Keith's furious expression melted away into confusion, and that was when Zarkon made his move. Quick as lighting, he grabbed the syringe from the table and plunged it into Keith's right arm.

"You have to be relaxed for the drug to work." Zarkon stated. "Tense muscles would mess everything up." His eyes gleamed. "Don't worry my boy, the pain will start in three...two...one."

Keith squeezes his eyes shut, ready for the wave of pain to wash over him. When it never came, he opened one eye slowly, then the other.

"Looks like it didn't work you big fre-" Keith's eyes widened as what felt like fire raged through his body. Keith pursed his lips and looked frantically around the room with wide eyes. He tried not to scream. He knew that if he did, his fellow paladins would hear him.

Keith tried, he really did. But the pain had become absolutely unbearable, and a scream was ripped from his throat with such force that it echoed throughout every hallway, and filled the ears of his friends.

"Keith..." Lance whispered, looking longingly at the thick metal door that held them. "What are they doing to you?"

Zarkon brushes his hands together, satisfied with what he had done, and stood over Keith's withering body.

"Now, why don't you tell me where the red lion is?"


	2. Don't Hurt Her!

_Alright, here's another chapterrr! I'm currently curled up in a onesie writing fanfiction at midnight on a school night (I have a problem XD) and living the American dream (I guess) I'm not quite sure if this chapter is going to be good enough for you guys or not, because I'm sleep deprived and I've been having writers block (ladies and gents, welcome to my life!) But I hope this is up to your standards. Thanks to anamg210, Angel of the Honey Bees, and Natiainen for reviewing, I'm so glad (and kind of amazed) that you liked the story! Also a big thanks to my friend SilverDewDrop (whom I just met like two hours ago lol) for giving me some inspiration for this story. Alrightie then here is another chapter of my beautiful children getting tortured ;) (PS I apologize in advance if there are any spelling errors or whatever. My spellcheck isn't working, so that's why :D)_

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"Don't make this hard on yourself." Zarkon suggested, leaning closer to Keith in his chair. "Just tell me where your lion is, and you won't get hurt."

"Yeah...a little late for that." Beads of sweat mixed with tears rolled down his face when another inhumane scream escaped his mouth as unbearable pain ripped through his body. Zarkon watched with a sick expression of satisfaction.

"I must admit, I'm impressed young paladin." Zarkon cracked his knuckles. "Not one of my prisoners have lasted even a minute with the serum in their body, and you have lasted for five."

"Yeah, well I can be in here for hours, days even, and I won't tell you _anything._ " The defiant expression that the emperor hated so much was back on his face in full force. "You hear me? You will never break me. And I will never tell you where the red lion is." Keith started thrashing around, his restraints barely holding the boy down. "I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN TELL YOU!"

"Oh no my precious paladin, I need you alive if I am ever to get Voltron." Zarkon picked up the syringe that had held the serum that had been injected into Keith, looked at the boy, and bared his teeth. "I will break you." He smashed the syringe into pieces with just the squeeze of his hand. "That's a promise."

Keith's eyes followed the shards of glass as they fell to the ground around him. "Whatever you say," Keith whispered, tearing his eyes away from the now shattered tool that had caused him so much pain.

"What was that?" Zarkon asked, brushing glass off of his fingers. "It sounded like you didn't think I would follow through on my promise."

Keith rolled his eyes at the Galra and scowled. "Because your not. No amount of pain will ever make any of us crack. Ever. And that is my promise to you."

Zarkon tapped his chin. "In that case, I'll make you a deal."

Keith opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words a spine chilling scream of pure agony erupted and echoed throughout the room.

Zarkon sneered. "It hurts, doesn't it," Keith said nothing, just watched the galra intently with teeth bared and tears trailing down his face.

"Ah, look at that. Mr. Big and Tough is crying."

"I am not cry-" another wave of pain washed over him. Keith let out a small whimper and a few more tears slipped down his cheeks.

"Yes, you are," Zarkon replied, flashing a victorious smile. Keith gritted his teeth together. He was mad, mad about Zarkon threatening them and then torturing him with his awful serum, mad that his friends were here with him, but he was mostly mad at himself for being so...weak. He was crying. Warriors should never cry...right?

Zarkon watched as Keith debated with himself. "Boy, do you want to hear the deal or not?"

Keith cocked his head to stare at Zarkon. Through his tough exterior, Zarkon could see a faint shimmer of curiosity written on his face. "I'll take that as a yes." He hissed. "You have two choices. You can either tell me where the red lion is and I let you go back to your friends, or-"

"I'LL NEVER TELL YOU! NO MATTER WHAT PAIN I HAVE TO TAKE, WHAT TORTURE I HAVE TO ENDUR, I. WILL. NEVER. TELL. YOU. ANYTHING!" Keith's veins were bulging and his face was flushed bright red. "EVER!" he finished, casting a smug look at the emperor.

Zarkon had _had it._ "WHY MUST YOU BE SO DIFFICULT, BOY!" He roared. His patience was running out fast, and he needed the whereabouts of the lion before his temper took over. "HERE, YOU DON'T LIKE THAT DEAL? THEN LET'S MAKE A NEW ONE!" Zarkon slammed his hands on each side of Keith's head and got nose to nose with the young paladin. "HOW ABOUT THIS! YOU TELL ME WHERE THE RED LION IS, OR YOUR LITTLE GREEN FRIEND SUFFERS!"

That wiped the smug look of his face instantly. Zarkon stood back from Keith and smiled. He had done it. He had found his weak spot, his love and protection for his friends. Keith's face had morphed from the look of confidence to anger and terror. A smile of pleasure spread Zarkon's face. "She's such a pretty little thing, isn't she," Zarkon stated, smirking at the seething red paladin.

"Shut. Up." Keith growled, struggling at his bindings with more ferocity than ever before.

Zarkon watched in amusement before getting close to the boy's face. "You know," he said. "I'm sure Lotor would be more than happy to have her for the day, don't you think?" There. Zarkon had seen it. All hope and fire had been completely extinguished from Keith's eyes. Zarkon smirked. "I did it." The galra threw back his head and laughed. " _I DID IT!_ " the red paladin was now broken. Who would've known his feelings would be his demise?

* * *

"Fine. I'll tell you where the red lion is." Keith murmured, watching Zarkon laugh maniacally. "Just...ugh fine."

Zarkon calmed himself and sat down in his seat, fingers intertwined. "I'm listening." He hissed.

Keith rolled his eyes and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. "The lion is stationed on a small planet about five galaxies away. It's hidden in the middle of the forest there."

A tense silence filled the room afterward. Zarkon looked disappointed and stood up. The galra walked slowly to the door going into the hallway. "Guards." He said sternly. The robots standing at the door twirled their heads 360 to look at their master. "Get me the girl. And bring her in here."

"WHAT!" Keith roared, glaring at Zarkon with the intensity of 1,000 suns. "I TOLD YOU WHERE MY LION WAS!"

Zarkon clicked his tongue. "I happen to know what is on the specific planet you spoke of." Keith paled considerably. "And I also happen to know that it is infested with virus bugs, which would kill me with a single touch of their stingers. In short, my boy," Zarkon's face changed into an expression of pure rage. He stalked across the room and flipped over one of the tables filled with tools. Weapons of all shapes and sizes were scattered all across the room. "You _lied._ And now your precious paladin friend will pay the price."

"No, please don't do this. _Please!_ Keith begged. "She's just a kid, she didn't choose to be in this war! Come on! Torture me! _TORTURE ME!_ Inject me with more of that serum, please, _anything!_ "

"Can you tell me where the red lion is?"

"NO! I would, I would lead you to it myself if it meant saving Pidge, but _I don't know where it is!_ None of us do! We rode here in them and they just up and left!" The desperation in Keith was clear as day. "PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!"

Zarkon fingered a small blade from the toppled over tray. "And why didn't you tell me this instead of telling me it was somewhere else?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me anyway! So just let Pidge go!" Keith was shaking now, whether it was from fear, from anger, or from pain from the serum, no one knew. "We don't know where our lions are! I couldn't tell you anything useful! Don't torture Pidge for information we don't have!"

"Young paladin, that is where you are so very wrong. Do you remember the but?"

Keith stared at Zarkon, his eyebrows furrowed. "The but? What?"

"The but in our little agreement." Zarkon's pale eyes gleamed. "The one that you didn't bother to hear."

A stunned silence followed. "That's not fair!" Keith exploded, baring his teeth ferociously "The agreement was that you would take me instead of Pidge!"

Zarkon looked up at Keith, his gaze deadly. "I said that you could take her place, but... and you said you didn't need to hear the rest, as long as your precious 'Pidge was safe." Zarkon paused as shouts of terror emitted from the Paladin's cell, along with Pidge yelling at the top of her lungs. The emperor turned his attention back to the red paladin, who was straining his head to get a glimpse of the door with a terrified look plastered on to his face.

"But if you had heard the rest, you would've known that if you lied, she would be tortured anyway." Zarkon ran his finger over the sharp edge of the blade he had been toying with. "This'll be a good place to start. " He murmured, earning screams of protest from Keith. The doors slid open, and there two guards stood, each holding a trashing young girl by one arm.

"Let. Me. GO." She ordered, her legs kicking the air. Her eyes were screwed shut and her hair was dirty and tangled.

"Pidge?!" Keith cried, trying to cock his head in order to get a good look at his friend.

Pidge's eyes snapped open. "Keith?" She exclaimed. All struggling and kicking ceased. "Keith! We thought you were a goner! After hearing those screams... we all feared the worst!" Pidge fell limp in the robot's arms. "We were all so freaking worried about you! Don't ever take my place again!"

Zarkon watched this exchange with dull interest. "Drop her." He ordered his guards. They did as he asked and quickly left the room, sealing the door, and the paladin's fate, with them.

"Pidge slowly got up, receiving a small cut on her hand from one of the knives strewn across the floor. "Rude." she murmured.

Zarkon studied her for a split second. "This should be fun."

Pidge whirled around to glare at the galra. "I'm not afraid of you." She growled, her eyes bright and determined.

"Hm," Zarkon replied, walking over to Keith and unstrapping him from the operation table, earning surprised looks from both of the paladins as he did so.

As soon as the last strap holding Keith down was undone, he tried to run over to his young friend. He barely got more than two steps before his body collapsed from sheer exhaustion. The serum, which seemed to have worn off, had rendered him completely useless.

"You like? It's a useful side effect when you want it to be." Zarkon said to the paladins, earning ferocious glares from each.

"You no like?" The paladin's face's remained stony. Zarkon shrugged. "Works for me."

Zarkon took Keith's handcuffs (A/N like the ones they had on in The Way Forward) which he had removed before strapping him to the operation table and slid them around his wrists. Though completely quiet, Pidge could see the pleasure in Zarkon's old and wrinkled face. He slung Keith over his shoulder and carried him over to the wall in front of the operation table. Once there, Zarkon dropped to boy right on his head and walked back over to Pidge, who was looking at him with such hope and determination that it made him sick. Keith lay in a quiet heap, unable to do anything but watch the whole horrific scene unfold.

"You've got a bit of a loud mouth." Zarkon flicked the knife in his hand. "We're going to have to fix that."

A flicker of despair cut through Pidge's mask of confidence like a knife, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, whatcha gonna do?"

Zarkon's face was an emotionless stare. "I'm going to find out what makes you tick. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Pidge shrugged, avoiding Zarkon's gaze. "Doesn't sound too bad."

Zarkon grabbed Pidge's chin roughly and forced her to look at him. "Trust me, young paladin, it will be."

"Pidge!" Keith cried desperately, trying and failing to get up from the floor.

Zarkon's gaze flickered from Keith, then to Pidge, and then back to Keith. A wide smile spread across his face. "Guards," he called. The door slid open and one of the two robots stepped inside the room quickly before Pidge could make a break for it.

"Yes, master?"

"Bring the other paladins from their cell. I think they're going to want to see the show."


	3. A Promise To Protect

_Heyyy my peoples! I'm back with another chapter of our favorite little paladin babes getting chaptered. Btw, HUGE thanks to everyone who's supported and reviewed this story, that really means a lot. And another big thank you to some of my (new) friends who I've been PMing. Also, if you have any ideas for another chapter or an idea (for this story or my others) feel free to PM me or write a review. Thanks to my peeps, and onto the story (I honestly think that this is one of my worst chapters yet, but you be the judge ;) I'm very sorry about this one it's just that school has been crazy coo-coo and if I wanted to get one up in time I had to quickly write in the middle of history class. But maybe that's just me being harsh on myself. Anyway, enjoy!)_

* * *

"Whatarewegoingtodowhatarewegoingtodowhatarewegoingtodo" Lance's leg jittered impatiently as sweat poured down his forehead. The rest of the remaining paladins weren't faring much better. Pidge had been stolen right from under them, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"What are they going to do to her..." Hunk asked hesitantly. No one answered the yellow paladin. They didn't have to. They all knew that Keith was tough, tougher than Shiro even. But the way he had been screaming...if it had hurt Keith that much, it would undoubtedly kill their smallest paladin.

"Shiro?" Lance asked expectantly, looking at the older man. But Shiro wasn't in the right mind to offer his words of wisdom. The burly man was hunkered down into a ball, rocking back and forth on his heels. Shiro just couldn't get it through his mind why they would torture such innocent souls as Pidge and Keith.

"I'm the leader...why, not me?" He whispered.

"Shiro...?" Hunk asked, reaching out his hand to touch the older paladin. "You ok buddy?"

Quick as lightning, Shiro's head shot up and he swatted Hunk's hand away, the sheer force of his robotic arm sending him flying back into the wall. "No. I. Am. NOT OK!" Shiro shouted, glaring daggers at the younger men. Lance and Hunk exchanged concerned glances.

"Shiro..."

Shiro stared at his fellow paladins and fell backward into a slump. "I'm sorry, it's just...I'm the leader. Why don't they take me? Why Keith and Pidge? WHY ANY OF YOU!"

"Hell..." Lance whispered. He had been feeling fully responsible for letting the men take Pidge and Keith. He couldn't even imagine how Shiro felt. "Shiro, it's not your fault. They know that the best way to torture you is to torture us."

For the first time, Shiro looked directly into Lance's eyes, and Lance could finally see what torment he was feeling. He was broken.

* * *

Before Shiro could reply, the door was kicked open with such a force that Lance had to duck and roll before it smashed his frail body against the wall. A total of 6 robot galra stalked in the room. All three paladins scrambled back in surprise, scooting away from the door as far as their chains could allow. The dull red eyes of the galran robots scanned over their cowering faces.

After a moment of silence, the cell erupted into chaos. "Where are Pidge and Keith?!" Hunk yelled, jerking forward on his chains. "What have you DONE with them!"

"You shall see them shortly." One answered, voice deadbeat.

"Well, what the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Shiro yelled. If these guards were human, the ferocity of Shiro's glare would've been enough to send them running back to where they came from. But unfortunately for the paladins, these things were 100% robotic. "Oh, I swear, if you did something to Keith or hurt Pidge..."

Shiro didn't even get to finish his sentence, as the whole cell fell into silence as a slow, mechanical grin appeared on all of the Robot's faces. "Then you're definitely not going to enjoy this show." One said. The others just stood in silence. The paladins could hear the gears inside his head churning as the smile faded.

"What 'show' are we talking about here?!" Lance yelled, suddenly breaking the silence and startling both of his friends. "Once we get out of here I am going to HURT YOU SO BAD for EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE! EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE TO KEITH, TO PIDGE, AND TO US!" If the guards were affected in the least by the young boy's words, they didn't show it. Before Lance could launch into another screaming fit, the paladins were unchained, swept off of their feet, and carried down the hallway by their arms in just under 20 seconds.

The prisoners and the robots stopped at a huge metal door, and the door opened to reveal...

"Pidge!" Hunk cried.

Pidge whirled around to face the doorway. "Hunk, Lance, Shiro! What the hell are you guys doing here!" Pidge looked panicked at Zarkon. "What are they doing here!"

Zarkon smiled. It was almost creepy that The Galran Emporer's smile was almost as empty and lifeless as the robot's. "Well, I wanted them to watch the show, didn't I?"

"Keith!" Lance yelled, being the first to spot the crumpled body of the red paladin in the corner of the room.

Keith, though he couldn't move, obviously heard Lance's call. "Guys? Lance? Where are you!"

"We're over here!" Lance shouted. "Dude, are you ok? We heard you screaming!" the memories of those screams still made Lance shiver. Nobody should scream like that, especially not Keith... "Dude talk to me here?" Lance shouted again after a few seconds. The Blue paladin then began a mad dash in thin air, kicking his legs like he was running to get to Keith. However, much to his confusion, the guards started leading the three paladins over to where Keith was. However, that confusion quickly faded as they all realized what the robots were going to do.

Faster than any of them could comprehend, Lance, Hunk, and Shiro were chained to the wall as they had been in their cell. "Um, Keith? Why aren't you chained?" Hunk whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"I. Can't. Move." Keith mumbled, one arm flopping down to the ground. "Don't. Say. A. Word." Keith growled, seeing as Lance was barely containing his laughter.

"Paladins." Zarkon's voice echoed off the white walls of the room. All paladins automatically turned toward him, including Pidge who had backed herself into the corner her friends were in.

"Pidge, what the quiznak is going on?" Lance whispered. Pidge just shook her head.

"Guys, look away."

"What?" Hunk hissed, leaning in as close as he could to his little friend. Zarkon, who had been watching this exchange, started walking slowly across the room to where they were.

"I said look away," Pidge said quietly. Even though it was barely audible, the desperation in her voice was clearly evident.

Shiro, who had just now snapped out of his guilty trance, turned accusingly to Pidge. "Pidge. Has he hurt you? Because I swear if he hurt you..."

Pidge clenched her fists. "No, Shiro. Now just look away!" Her voice rose louder and louder. "Look away! Look away! Look away! Look awayyyy!" She screamed desperately. Zarkon was inches away from her now, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the operation table, his sharp claws piercing her skin. Of course, everyone erupted in shouts of protest, but no one was louder than Pidge. "Look away look away look away lookawaylookawayLOOKAWAYLOOKAWAY!" She sobbed. Anyone could tell, she was terrified.

The rest of her team was staring in silence at the screaming girl. The innocent one, the one they had all sworn to protect with their lives. "Pidge..." Lance said. "We can't look away."

Then Pidge looked at each of them with those pleading, tear-filled honey brown eyes of hers. "Please." She rasped. Zarkon, who was watching this whole ordeal with mild amusement, threw the young girl on the operation table. The whole room cringed when they heard a faint pop in her side. "If you guys have ever loved me, ever cared about me in the slightest, then look away."

Hunk was the first to squeeze his eyes shut, and in doing so a tear ran down his cheek. The urge to protect his small friend was too strong to hold in forever. Keith was the next to give in, curling his head into his knees and squeezing himself as much as he could with his paralyzed state. Lance gave in next. He slowly turned his back on Pidge, as he shot one last hurtful, pleading look toward the girl on the operation table. She just nodded.

"Pidge..." Shiro started. Pidge didn't say anything.

She just smiled at him. "Look away, Shiro."

At that moment there was no doubt in his mind. Pidge was the strongest of all of them, no matter how small she was in size she made up for in determination and heart.

* * *

Pidge, for the first time in a while, smiled a real, genuine smile. She knew how the other paladins cared for her, and she knew that if they witnessed her torture they'd be broken. She may not be able to spare them the sounds of her torture, but she could at least shield their eyes from the horrible sight. With that in mind, Pidge turned toward Zarkon with a smirk on her face. "Do your worst."

"Believe me, I intend to." The Galra then picked up a blade and sliced it across her bicep. Pidge let out a sharp yelp. A sound of pleasure escaped Zarkon's throat. "Get ready for a long night my dear.

* * *

For what felt like hours, the paladins up against the wall heard scream after scream after scream from the young paladin. The urge to turn around and protect Pidge was overwhelming, but they had to honor what she had asked them to do. Nevertheless, they all felt somehow that they had...failed. The small, 14 year old girl who was so innocent, sweet, and adorably quirky, the one they had all sworn to protect with their lives, the one that they would all die for in order for her to be safe, that one girl was right in front of them, getting tortured and cut and bruised by the Galran emperor himself, but there was nothing any of them could do about it. And it was tearing each of them apart.

That day, at that very moment, all of them made a silent promise. No Galra would ever, ever, **_ever_** lay a hand on Pidge ever again.

* * *

 _Wowwwwww so I just wrote that...god I don't know how I should feel right now XD._ _Honestly, I am so sorry I wasn't able to get this chapter up sooner. I literally haven't touched my computer in like two weeks soooo there's that lol. Anyway, how Y'all doing? I'm doing pretty good if any of you care (which you probably don't but whatever XD) SO I'm on spring break now, and you know what that means?! Two weeks of me staying home alone for 10 hours while my parents are at work and my brother is... I really don't remember the last time I even saw the guy honestly XD. And two weeks of me staying home alone for 10 hours means a TON of fanfiction writing, so stay tuned for updates. Also, if there is anything that you would like to see in future chapters or any story suggestions, please hit me up. I honestly LIVE for the paladins protecting Pidge, my little bean child, and that hardly ever happened in the show so I'm making it happen here! I can't thank you enough for all the attention and support this story is getting. I don't really think this was one of my best chapters, but that's for you to decide. Anyway, thanks for reading and stay tuned!_


	4. Never Again

**_Hey guys, you miss me? :) I'm beyond sorry that it took OVER A YEAR to churn out another chapter. I just couldn't motivate myself enough to write any more of this story, until I got a review about a week ago asking if I was going to continue, and I thought, why not? So here this is! Thank you for being so patient, and I hope you still are all interested in the story even though it's been so long. Thanks for everything!_**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned the series Allura and Lance never would've gotten together.**

* * *

"This is all my fault," Shiro muttered, his cold hands stroking Pidge's hair gently, eyes fixed on the little girl lying still in his lap.

"Shiro..." Keith started, offering a grim smile that didn't at all reach his eyes. He had nothing to say about the situation they were in, the situation _Pidge_ was in. It was all just...too much. Keith prided himself on being strong and independent, someone that his friends could always rely on in times of need and danger. So seeing Pidge like that...her body bruised and battered and littered with cuts and blood...he could barely keep it together.

Hunk sighed heavily, clutching his best friend's hand like it was his lifeline. "It's not your fault Shiro. There was nothing you could've done." His thumb gently rubbed circles around the young girl's palm, careful to avoid the blistered flesh and the cuts stained with Dry blood that Zarkon had left the night before. "I just want her to wake up." He mumbled quietly.

"Yeah." Lance agreed. Glassy blue eyes scanned over Pidge's body, carefully examining every injury that Zarkon had inflicted on her and silently swearing that he would inflict all of those same ones on the galra himself.

A tense silence filled the cell as all eyes stayed glued to the body in front of them. They were fortunate that Zarkon hadn't done anything worse than this, and they were all well aware of this fact. The galra's leader had been careful, all things considered. He had made sure to avoid any vital organs and not make any unnecessary cuts that would cause the young girl to bleed out. His sole goal was just to torture, not kill Pidge, in an attempt to break her as well as her companions, and it was safe to say he had succeeded. The worst thing he had done was break Pidge's right arm with a loud _snap,_ prompting an animalistic, gut-wrenching scream to rip from her throat.

There was no doubt in any of the paladin's minds that they would remember that haunting scream for the rest of their lives.

* * *

It was Lance who broke first. Everyone had been trying desperately to hold it together, but all it took was one more look at Pidge for the soft-hearted paladin to completely lose it. Tears slowly trickled down his cheeks, the flow becoming faster and faster until Lance could barely make out the faces of his fellow paladins. Soft sobs racked his body, his shoulders shaking violently and fingers digging into the soft flesh of his hand. It took all he had not to scream, scream at whatever god there was looking down at them who allowed Pidge to get hurt. Scream at himself for not protecting her well enough. Scream at Zarkon for _doing_ this to his precious friend. Scream at **the world** **for dragging an innocent fourteen-year-old kid into a war she had no part in.**

"Lance, it's okay." Keith's calloused hand met Lance's back and rubbed it gently. He never was one for soft gestures of affection, but he could tell that Lance needed it. Keith unwillingly let a few tears of his own slip from his glassy eyes, too overwhelmed by the situation before him to keep his composure.

"No, Keith!" Lance jerked back from the red paladin's touch, barring his teeth at his friend. "Nothing about this is OKAY! I MEAN, LOOK AT HER!" Lance gestured wildly to the green paladin, who still hadn't moved a muscle. "DOES SHE _LOOK_ OKAY TO YOU?!"

"NO, LANCE, OF COURSE SHE DOESN'T LOOK OKAY!" All heads, save Pidge's, whipped around to look at Hunk. The soft-hearted paladin glared at Lance before averting his gaze from his friend's surprised face to look back down at Pidge, gently running his hand through her sandy hair once again in soothing motions.

Shiro nodded calmly, eyes still locked on Pidge's still form. "Look, Lance. Pidge is hurt. Badly." A suffocating silence filled the cell as everyone took in those words. It shouldn't have been a surprise. After all, they could see the damage Zarkon had done on the young girl lying before them plain as day, but none of them had outright said anything until this point about just how horrific Pidge's state currently was.

"I just..." Lance's words caught in his throat as more tears spilled out of his puffy red eyes. Keith squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, tears of his own still escaping his own eyes and trickling down his pale cheeks. "I feel like I could've done _more,_ you know?" He flexed his fingers experimentally, grasping at nothing but air. "I mean...I just..." A choked sob escaped Lance's throat as he fought to find the right words to say in a time like this.

Hunk simply nodded in understanding. He knew precisely what Lance was trying to say. They all did, for they all felt the same way. " We get it, Lance." He whispered. "I just don't want to lose her. I _can't._ I mean, it's _Pidge_ for god's sake, you know?"

Keith laughed a hollow laugh, one utterly devoid of humor and joy. "Of course, Hunk." Keith murmured, gazing down at the bruised and battered body of their passed out friend. "I couldn't handle it. Not with any of you." His eyes shifted down to Pidge. "Not with her."

Shiro mumbled softly in agreement. As of right then, he was the only member of team Voltron who was holding it together, as hard as it was. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he could've done something to prevent this. His thoughts ran a mile a minute, all of his guilts and frustrations being screamed at him all at once.

"It should've been me."

"Huh?" Three pairs of eyes locked onto Shiro, head bowed, and eyes soft with emotion and unshed tears. Keith cocked his head questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm the leader of this team. I'm the one that dragged you all into this." He tightened his grip on Pidge unconsciously, pulling her cold body closer to him. "Pidge never should've gotten hurt. Neither should've you." Shiro locked eyes with Keith, who pursed his lips in an annoyed expression.

Hunk, ever the peacemaker, spoke up first. "Shiro, none of this is your fault." His eyes trailed over to Keith and Lance, who had obvious guilt written all over their faces. "It isn't either of your faults either. Nor is it mine."

"But-"

"Stop." Hunk sighed heavily. "Look. We're all thinking the same thing here." His eyes met those of his fellow paladins, each pair swirling with grief and regret. "We're all blaming ourselves for not protecting Pidge better, that much is obvious. But it's over now, as painful as it was for her and us." Hunk's eyes welled up with tears, but he refused to let them fall. His team needed to hear this right now. "All we can do now is make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Shiro nodded firmly in agreement, while Lance and Keith exchanged determined looks.

"Agreed." Keith wiped his wet cheeks with the palm of his hand. "If Zarkon lays another hand on her..."

The same thought coursed through the other three paladin's heads. _"There'll be hell to pay."_

* * *

 _Hi! I'm back I guess lol. I honestly am not a humongous fan of this chapter, but give me some time to get back into the groove of writing this story. I hope you all enjoyed, and please review! Constructive criticism and requests for what you would like to see next are always welcome. The reviews seriously inspire me to write more. THANK YOUUUU XD_


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